पुंसः प्रशमतृप्तस्य शीतलाच्छतरात्मनः । शमभूषितचित्तस्य शत्रुरप्येति मित्रताम् ॥ ५३ ॥
puṁsaḥ praśamatṛptasya śītalācchatarātmanaḥ | śamabhūṣitacittasya śatrurapyēti mitratām || 53 ||
Translation
Even an enemy becomes the friend of one who is filled with peace, whose self is cool and clear, and whose mind is adorned with calm.
Word by word
- puṁsaḥ
- of one
- praśama
- with peace
- tṛptasya
- who is filled
- śītala
- cool
- acchatara
- and clear
- ātmanaḥ
- whose self is
- śama
- with calm
- bhūṣita
- adorned
- cittasya
- whose mind is
- śatrur
- (śatruḥ) an enemy
- api
- even
- ēti
- becomes
- mitratām
- the friend
Meaning
It may sound like a pious exaggeration, and yet anyone who has dealt with a truly calm person has seen some of it. Hostility feeds on hostility, and finds nothing to hold when it meets none. The verse does not promise that this will happen in every case. It describes what such calm tends to do to those near it.